Piece It Together
by Alexandria M
Summary: **Sequel To Pick Up The Pieces* Dean Ambrose has just been put on probation and had his license taken away due to his bad choices and has recently proposed to Renee Young. Dean is finding himself and Renee starting over again after the tragedy that he caused with his mother. Will they be able to put all the pieces back together or will they fall apart again?
1. A New Start

***Here is the sequel to Pick Up The Pieces. I hope that you like it***

 **ONE MONTH LATER:**

"Today is the day," I say to Renee as I wake up my beautiful fiancée with a soft kiss on her neck as the light shines into our bedroom window. It's been a pretty interesting month to say the least. I'm getting used to being on probation which isn't an easy task. I'm used to going and doing whatever I wanted but now I have rules to follow. I kind of hate it. I did have to get special permission from my probation officer so that I could go back to work when the time comes. If they are willing to take me back.

"Mm," groans Renee as she covers her face with her arm. "I don't want to get up."

"It's time to get up. I let you sleep as long as you could. You have to get up and get ready to go to the doctor. We get to find out the sex of the babies today."

"I know but it's so early," she says and of course she would think that. She was just out on the road. She's been back and forth between Vegas and Orlando because she's co-hosting Tough Enough. It was a pretty random job but she took it before she cuts ties with WWE. It's been keeping her busy. She caught a red-eye flight in from Orlando last night after the live taping so she could be here for the doctor appointment.

"It's 12 in the afternoon," I say, "our appointment is at 1 come on, Baby, you can sleep when we get home. I know you're exhausted but it's time to get up so we can get to the hospital on time."

"All right," she says with a groan. She throws the covers off of her and sits up. She rubs her soft tanned legs before rubbing her eyes before she gets out of the bed. She makes her way to the bathroom after giving me a soft kiss on the lips. I smile as I start to get myself ready to go to the doctor with her. Even when she's tired she's still as beautiful as ever. I go to brush my teeth after throwing on a wife beater and a pair of black basketball shorts as she goes into the room to get dressed.

"Do you mind if Kennedy comes with us today?" I holler from the bathroom with toothpaste in my mouth.

"That's fine," she hollers back. "I'm so fat. I can't find anything to wear."

"You're not fat," I say, "you're pregnant, beautifully pregnant," I say with a smile before I rinse out my mouth. "You're beautiful," I say.

"Yeah well have you seen me on Tough Enough," she asks as I walk into the bedroom to see her walking around in her black lace bra and matching underwear. "I look like such a cow on the show."

"You do not," I say as I walk over to the closet. "You look beautiful," I say as Kennedy comes into the room.

"Are we going to the doctor yet?" she asks.

"As soon as I find mommy something to wear," I say.

"I don't need you to find me anything to wear," she says tossing shirts out of the drawer and shorts. "None of this fits and none of this looks good on me."

"How about this?" I ask pulling out a beautiful yellow sundress for her to wear. "This is pretty."

"Are you trying to make me look like the sun?" she asks.

"You're not going to look like the. You're going to look beautiful," I say as Kennedy sits down on our bed in her own little sundress with her hair already done into a ponytail. "At least try it on."

"I'm fine," she says throwing a tank top with writing on it out of the pile and a black cami to go under the grey shirt and she finds a pair of shorts to put on. She puts the clothes on and then throws her hair up into a messy bun. "I'm ready," she says.

"All right, you look beautiful, let's go," I say as we make our way out of the bedroom. Kennedy takes my hand as we walk behind Renee.

"She's grumpy," she whispers.

"It's because she's tired and when you're pregnant it makes you feel certain ways," I say, "she'll be all right."

"Okay," she whispers back as we make our way down to the front door to head to the doctor for the ultrasound.

We get to the doctor just in time. Renee signs in as Kennedy and I take a seat in the waiting room waiting for the nurse or doctor to come get us before Renee joins us. "So Kennedy, what do you think Mommy is going to have?"

"Boys," she says with a smile as she sits in my lap. "I think she's going to have two boys. I really want my brothers."

"But what if she has girls?" I ask.

"I don't know," she says, "I'll be happy. I just want to be a big sister," she says with a smile.

"I wanted to be a big brother when I was your age too. I still wish I could be a big brother but I never got to be one."

"That's sad, Daddy," she says. "What are we naming the babies?"

"We don't know yet," I say as the nurse comes out for us. "We'll figure it out eventually."

"Oh," she says as we make our way back to the ultrasound room.

The doctor gets the ultrasound machine set up. He turns it on and gets it running as Renee lays on the bed in the gown that the nurse gave her to put on before she left the room. "This is going to be cold," says the doctor as he pours the gel onto Renee's growing stomach. "So any thoughts on what you think the babies are going to be?" he asks.

"I think they're boys," says Renee.

"I think they're boys too," says Kennedy.

"Are you the big sister?"

"Yes," she says proudly. "But even if I get sisters I'm going to love them too. I just want to be a big sister."

"Oh yeah?" asks the doctor as he smears the gel around on Renee's stomach as I hold her hand. "Are you going to be a good big sister?"

"Yes," she says with a smile. "I'm going to help feed them and change their diapers except the poopy diapers those are for Daddy," she says making me smile and making the doctor laugh. "And I'm going to play with them. I'm going to be the best big sister ever!" she says with so much pride in her voice it makes me smile. She loves the babies already. She's always talking to them and touching Renee's stomach. She's been practicing to be a big sister for a while now.

"It sounds like it," he says with a smile as the babies appear on the screen. "Look at this," he says with a smile as we look at the screen. "They're holding hands," he says.

"That's so cute," says Renee with tears in her eyes. "Look at them, Dean."

"I see," I say with a smile. "They're best friends already."

"And they're active too," says Renee as they start to flip all over the place but not letting go of their hands. "All night and all day," she says.

"I bet," I say as I watch them move as the doctor takes the wand over her stomach showing us all their body parts. They are stubborn as they don't let him get a glimpse of their sex. He nudges at them a bit and they are strong-willed already.

"Ah, there we go," he says as one of them opens their legs. We only need one of them to do it because they are identical twins. "It looks like you are having girls," he says and deep down I feel a bit disappointed. I wanted to have boys but I'm sure I will love the girls just the same.

"Two girls," I say with a smile. "We're having little girls," I say to Renee.

"I am excited," she says, "I can go shopping for little dresses and hair bows now. I can't wait!" she says with a smile. She did want little girls. I don't blame her, her family has no girls other than her and her sister. I'm sure that the girls will be accepted with open arms into the family.

"And they look very healthy. I think we will end up doing a C-Section," says the doctor as he prints off some pictures for us. "I think that will be the easiest way. Unless you want to go naturally?"

"I think a C-Section is just fine," says Renee. "If that's the best option for us."

"It is and we'll probably do it at 38 weeks so January 11 or someday around there."

"Okay," she says with a smile before I kiss her lips softly.

"What do you think, Kennedy?" I ask her.

"It's cool," she says, "baby sisters are going to be fun! I can teach them a lot of stuff."

"Yes you can," I say with a smile. "And you have two new playmates."

"I know," she says with excitement. "I can't wait!" She makes me smile. I already know that I have my hands full with all these females in the house. It should be fun being outnumbered.

 **LATER THAT DAY:**

When we got home from the doctor Renee went to take a nap and Kennedy took a nap with her while I straightened up because Vince and Hunter were stopping in to talk to me about my WWE future. I'm hoping that I still have a job but if I don't I'll figure something out. I have so much on me right now with my probation and my community service as well as not having a license. It's all really hard but I'm learning to deal with it all. I hate asking Renee for a ride or asking people for rides when Renee is in Florida. It really sucks. As I finish running the vacuum the doorbell rings and my level of calm just shoots up to complete anxiety as I put the vacuum back into the closet before I go to open the door.

"Hello, Vince, Hunter," I say with a soft smile as they stand on my front step. "Come in."

"Thank-you," says Hunter as they walk into the house. "How are you doing? How's everything going?"

"I'm taking it one day at a time. I'm still healing and I'm still trying to accept my punishment."

"You got pretty lucky," he says.

"I wouldn't call myself lucky. Yes I could have gone to jail but the guilt and pain I live with every day is the worst. It's a lot worse than being in jail. I'm imprisoned by the pain and guilt the rest of my life knowing my mom is no longer with us because of me."

"I understand," says Hunter. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay," I say, "I made a stupid choice."

"It was a dumb decision to make," says Vince, "but it happened. What can you do now?"

"I don't know. I'm thinking of things to do to make it feel somewhat right again. I don't know if I want to share my story with the world but I know I have the resources to do so."

"That sounds like a good idea," says Hunter as we walk to my office. "You'll think of something. People could learn from your tragedy."

"Yeah," I say, "have a seat," I say as we enter my office. "Would you like anything to drink?"

"We're all right," says Vince as I take a seat. "So you're interested in coming back?" he asks.

"If you'll let me, I know that I wasn't exactly a standup guy and I embarrassed the company with my actions but I do love what I do and I would love to come back."

"We've been discussing this with the board," says Hunter. "Of course we want you to come back but there's some things that have to be taken care of. As a WWE superstar you are held up to high standards. We expect you to behave appropriately and respectfully inside and outside the ring. People know you. People know the name Dean Ambrose so when it comes out that Dean Ambrose was involved in an accident where he was under the influence that killed someone doesn't look good for WWE. I do have an issue with that. We want you to be an example to the community. You have a lot of young fans that look up to you and doing things like drinking and driving deters parents from allowing their children to be your fans. Would you let Kennedy look up to someone that did what you did?"

"Kennedy does look up to me and she knows I'm not a bad person even if her grandmother insists on telling her that I'm the scum of the earth. She doesn't look at me any differently than she did before. I know I made a mistake, everyone makes mistakes but I understand what you're saying if it would be someone other than me I would probably have her look up to someone else that wasn't in the trouble I was in."

"Exactly," says Hunter. "We like you, Dean, you had a really good thing going. We were going to build you up after Summerslam and have you win the championship at Survivor Series but right now we can't do that. We are allowing you to come back but it won't be until after Summerslam. You'll be back in time for Night of Champions but we want you to take another month or so off before you come back. Keep working on yourself and get yourself together."

"Okay," I say, "that works for me."

"And when you come back you're not going into a main event spot. For the first couple months you're back you're going to be on the mid-card and work your way up. We will discuss a possible championship reign in your future but it won't be any time soon. We can't make you the face of the WWE when you're out drinking and driving," he says, "it's not good for business. I would have loved to see you get the championship at Survivor Series but moving forward we are going to wait a little bit before we move you up from the mid-card to the main event spot and we are going to wait for the championship. We are looking at next year but it all depends on how the crowd accepts you when you come back."

"Okay," I say, "I understand that. I know why you're doing this and I'm okay with it."

"All right," says Hunter. "We want to see you back in the main event spot and see you with the championship but you have to work for it. You need to prove to us that you are ready for the big time and that you can handle yourself as a WWE superstar by behaving up to the standards laid out for you," he says.

"Okay," I say, "I have never worked for anything harder in my life. I did it once I'll do it again," I say, "this is what I have wanted to do since I was a kid and I want that championship. I will work my ass off for it," I say. I'm a bit disappointed about being put back onto the mid-card when I get back to business but it's better than nothing. I deserve where they are putting me in the business and I'll just have to work my way back up to the top. It's important for me to get this Championship not for me but for Saige and for my mom, for my wife to be and for my kids. I want them to see me do something good rather than mess up once again. I'm good at that.

 ***A/N: Is it a keeper or not? What do you think of Dean and Renee having twin girls? Can you see Dean's disappointment? Will he have his hands full? What do you thik of Renee's attitude is it because she's pregnant or because she's overwhelmed with the travel and everything that's happening with Dean? What do you think about Kennedy's reaction to being a big sister? Isn't she cute? What do you think about Dean going back to the mid-card when he gets back to work? Is this something he deserves? Do you think he will be able to handle being in the mid-card as opposed to the main event spot? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	2. Accusations

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

"So how did your meeting with Vince and Hunter go?" asks Renee as I am fixing us breakfast, "did it go okay?"

"Yeah," I say, "It went pretty well. I mean I am just glad I still have a job. It could be worse and I would be out of a job."

"So you get to keep your job?" she asks.

"Yes," I say with a smile as I put a plate of pancakes, bacon and eggs in front of her and put a plate in Kennedy's spot as she joins us in the kitchen. "I don't go back till the night after Night of Champions. Then they told me I'll be on the mid-card for a while so I won't be right in that main event spot."

"Well, that's pretty good," she says, "you're right it could have been a lot worse than it was. Will you get TV time?"

"I'm not sure what all Mid-card entails. I could do a lot of dark matches, a lot of matches for Main Event and Smackdown and the chances of having a pay-per-view match is pretty slim for a while," I say. "I'm just grateful they are allowing me to come back. I love what I do. I just have to work my ass off to get back to where I was," I say as I sit down at the table. "I know that I can do it. What if the fans hate me though?"

"Well, honestly," she says, "if they are your true fans they won't hate you. They'll support you."

"I know but I just have this vision I go back to work and I get booed out of the arena."

"So what if you get booed are you going to let that affect what you do?"

"No but it could affect what Vince and Hunter choose to do with me. It's based on how the fans accept me."

"I accept you, Daddy," says Kennedy with a smile on her face as she eats her pancake.

"Thanks, Ken," I say with a smile as I run my hand through her blonde hair before I take a bite of my own pancake. "So we have to do some school shopping it's getting pretty close to your first day of first grade are you ready for that?"

"Yes," she says with a smile. "I can't wait for first grade. It's a really big deal," she says with a proud smile. "It's going to be awesome we get two recesses and we get to go to the computer lab. It's going to be fun and we can buy our lunch and eat in the cafeteria with everyone else."

"Sounds fun," I say with a smile. "I can't believe you're going to be in first grade."

"It took forever," she says with a smile. "I want to get my hair cut for first grade."

"You want to get that pretty blonde hair cut off?" I ask. I haven't cut her hair since she was a year old. It's really long and goes down to her lower back. Saige always wanted her to have long hair.

"Yes, Daddy," she says. "I want to get it cut to my shoulders can I?"

"If that's what you want," I say, "then I guess we'll take you to get a haircut when we go shopping."

"Okay," she says with a smile. "Can we go shopping today?"

"If that's what you want to do," I say with a smile. "Do you want to come, Renee?"

"I would but I have to start packing to go back to Orlando for Tough Enough. Hopefully this is all over soon."

"I know," I say, "you're so tired and overworked. You need to take a break. We've been through a lot in the last couple months all this traveling back and forth isn't good for you nor is the stress of all this good for the babies."

"I know. I just need some down time," she says.

"Yes you do so take a week off and get some down time. I'm sure they will understand. That's a lot for you."

"Yeah," she says, "I guess I have to drive you two to the store."

"We'll take the bus or take a cab," I say, "you don't worry about it."

"Dean Ambrose riding a bus?" she asks.

"I have before it's not a big deal," I say.

"Okay," she says, "but if you want me to take you just let me know."

"We'll be fine," I say with a smile before I kiss her cheek softly. "You just get some rest."

"Okay," she says with a soft smile as we sit and eat breakfast together before I clean up the mess and then go to take a shower to get ready to catch the bus to take Kennedy shopping for school and to get her a haircut.

Kennedy and I arrive at the mall a couple hours later. It was the first time Kennedy has ever ridden a city bus but she didn't complain. She was in awe more than anything as she looked around at everyone on the bus. When we got to the mall we hit a couple kid stores for her to get some clothes. I kept in mind her school's dress code and avoided getting her leggings or tank tops sticking strictly to jeans, skirts and t-shirts. I let her pick out what she wanted since she will be the one wearing it and she has the same fashion sense as her mother. After we pick her up some clothes we hit the shoe store to get her a pair of sneakers and to get her some cowgirl boots and some dress shoes. She has interesting taste but it's all Kennedy and what she wants. After shoe shopping, I reluctantly take her to get her haircut. I almost shed tears as I watch them cut her long blonde from her lower back to the top of her shoulders. Her hair is so pretty but it's her decision how she chooses to wear it. The end result isn't as bad as I thought it would be. She looks older and more mature with her new short haircut.

"You look beautiful," I say with a smile.

"Thank-you, Daddy," she says with a smile as she admires herself in the mirror. "I like it."

"I'm glad," I say with a smile as I help her out of the chair to pay them for her haircut. "You look very pretty."

"Thank-you," she says twirling around so her tutu skirt twirls as she spins. I smile at her as I pay the woman at the counter for the haircut. Normally I wouldn't take my 6 year old to get her haircut at the mall but today I didn't have a choice. They did a really good job so I can't complain.

"So what do you say, Ken, want to go get some ice-cream before we go home?"

"Yeah," she says with a smile as she takes my hand and we make our way to the food court to get some ice-cream. "I want chocolate ice-cream," she says as we are standing in line.

"Okay," I say with a smile. "Chocolate ice-cream it is."

I step up in line and order our ice-cream for us before we take a seat at a table together. "I love ice-cream," she says as she starts to eat it.

"I know you do," I say with a smile as I eat my own. "I loved ice-cream too. Grammy used to take me to get ice-cream every week when I was your age and I had ice-cream for a snack every night. She thought I was going to turn into ice-cream."

"Did Mommy like ice-cream too?" she asks.

"Sometimes," I say with a smile, "she was more of a frozen yogurt fan though."

"Oh," she says as she scoops more ice-cream into her mouth. "Nana told me I'm coming to live with her. Is that true?"

"Ken, we went through this, you're not living with Nana. You'll keep visiting her every couple weeks but you are not going to be living there. You're staying with Daddy and Renee. Why do you keep asking that?"

"Because I'm scared she's going to make me live with her. She has a new bedroom for me with a lot of toys to play with. There are clothes there too. She told me I am going to go to the same school my mommy went to when she was little."

"Really?" I ask.

"Really," she says. "She told me that it is better at her house for me than your house. She said you are sick. Are you sick, Daddy?"

"Of course I'm not sick," I say, "I'm fine. I'm sad but I'm fine."

"Oh," she says as I see a big black and blue mark on her leg that I know came from the last time we were at the playground and she slipped on the jungle gym. She barely even cried even as the big bump started to form on her little leg. She plays rough and gets bruises all the time.

"That's a pretty nice bruise you have on your leg from the jungle gym," I say pointing to it.

"I know, Daddy isn't it cool?"

"If that's how you want to look at it," I say with a small chuckle, "Oh, Ken you're one tough little girl."

"Nana asked me how I got it."

"Really did you tell her you slipped on the jungle gym?"

"Yes but she didn't believe me. She kept asking me if you did it or if Renee did it because you two were upset."

"Really?" I ask trying to keep my temper down. "And when did you start calling Mommy Renee?"

"Nana doesn't like when I call her Mommy, she said that she's not my mommy and I shouldn't call her that."

"If you want to call her mommy you can," I say.

"I think I'm going to call her Renee," she says, "Nana said she's trying to take my real mommy's place and you're letting her."

"Your mom will NEVER be replaced," I say. "You know that."

"I guess," she says as she shrugs her shoulders. "I don't want to go to Nana's anymore."

"You don't?" I ask.

"No," she says, "she makes me sad. She talks about you in a not nice way. I don't like it. I'm sorry, Daddy."

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Kennedy. I will talk to Nana and if you don't want to go there you don't have to. I won't make you."

"Thank-you, Daddy," she says as she continues to eat her ice-cream. I suddenly lose my appetite because of my anger. I know exactly what Elena is doing to Kennedy and she's hurting her mentally and emotionally getting her confused to turn her against Renee and me. I'm not going to let her do that.

 **A COUPLE HOURS LATER:**

When we get home Kennedy shows Renee her brand new haircut and shows her all the clothes and shoes she got for school before I send her to her play room to play so I can talk to Renee. "Elena is playing mind games with Kennedy," I say as we sit in the living room.

"What?" she asks. "How do you know?"

"Kennedy told me. Did you wonder why she stopped calling you mommy lately? Elena told her she's not allowed to call you that because you're not her mom and you're trying to replace Saige. Kennedy has always known that was not your intention but now Elena is in her head. She's talking bad about me and talking bad about you. You know the bruise on Kennedy's leg from the jungle gym?"

"Yeah," she says, "What about it? She has a lot of bruises. She plays rough she's not delicate."

"I know but Elena is asking her if you or I did that to her."

"That's ridiculous," says Renee, "what is she trying to do?"

"She's trying to build a case against me so she can take Ken away from us. I'm not going to let that happen. I will never let her get her. I hate that her true colors are shining through. Saige always said her mom liked to be in control. Elena hated me from day 1 because I took away her beautiful little girl and corrupted her."

"Did you?" she asks.

"Are you kidding me? Saige was a wild child when I met her. I fell in love with her as wild as she was she tamed the hell out of me. She made me a better person. Her parents just didn't like her with someone like me but I guess I started to grow on them at least I thought so until the day Saige died. They tried to take Kennedy from me then too but they lost. Now we're back to this. It's a constant battle with them, Renee and now they are punching me at my lowest point. I am doing my best to fight back but what if the courts think I'm not capable of being a father?"

"That's ridiculous," she says, "Kennedy is well loved and well taken care of. She's happy and she's healthy. If you want to help your case maybe it wouldn't hurt to get involved into counseling you know what I mean because they will see it as you're getting help for your emotional distress. I think we could all use some counseling, Kennedy included. She's young and she doesn't understand and the fact that Elena is getting inside her head it wouldn't hurt for her to see a child's therapist about how she's dealing with Saige being gone and her Grammy being gone. You want to do the best thing for Kennedy."

"I have always done the best thing for Kennedy," I say.

"I know you have but doing this will just prove it. I don't see how any court would see you as an unfit parent but make sure you're documenting the things Kennedy is telling you so you can use it against Elena if the time ever comes that she takes you to court. I think right now she's calling your bluff but just in case she isn't be prepared. Have everything Kennedy is telling you on record so that when the time comes you can use that against her. She's going to mess Kennedy up emotionally and turn her against you if you don't stop these visits. I know you're trying to keep her in Ken's life but maybe right now is the time to put a stop to the visits at least for a while. Kennedy loves you deeply."

"I know and she doesn't' want to see Elena anymore so I think the visits are over," I say.

"Good and they need to be. Ken is impressionable at 6 years old it won't take much for Elena to get in her head and turn her against us."

"I know," I say as the doorbell rings. "I'll get that," I say before I stand up to get the door.

I open the door to see a woman dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a red shirt holding a file in her hands. "Mr. Ambrose," she says.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"I'm from Child Protection Services here in Las Vegas, I got a call about suspicious child abuse. I would like to come in and look around for a few minutes."

"There's no child abuse here," I say, "so you can tell Elena that she can go to hell."

"I'm sorry, Sir, but I need to do an investigation to see if these accusations are able to be thrown out. I am just doing my job."

"Elena sent you didn't she?" I ask my temper rising.

"It was an anonymous call," she says, "can I please come in to take a look around?"

"Fine," I say, "you're not going to find anything," I say as I let her into the house. The sooner she sees that the house is a healthy environment for Kennedy and that Kennedy is safe the sooner we can get her out of my house. "What do you need to see?" I ask her.

"Everything first where does the child sleep?"

"Up here," I say taking her upstairs to show her Kennedy's room. She makes a note as she looks at her bedroom. I take her through the entire house showing her everything as she makes notes in her file.

"Who is that?" asks Kennedy as we appear in the playroom.

"This is a lady from CPS," I say, "she just wants to make sure you're okay."

"Okay," she says looking the lady over and crossing her arms. "I'm fine."

"That's a really big bruise on your leg, Sweetie," she says, "what happened?"

"I fell at the playground," she says.

"How did you fall?"

"I was climbing on the jungle gym and my foot slipped and I hit the bar really hard."

"Hmm," she says, "I would like a minute to talk to her alone."

"If you think I'm going to let you talk to my 6 year old by yourself you're nuts," I say as Renee joins us in the playroom. "Renee, this is a woman from CPS someone called in suspicious child abuse."

"Oh really?" she asks.

"And she would like to talk to Kennedy alone because she wants to know how Kennedy got that bruise on her leg."

"Interesting," she says.

"It won't take me long, I just want to talk to Kennedy for a few minutes."

"Fine," I say I know I have no choice but to let her talk to Kennedy alone. I know if I object it looks like I am guilty of something but I'm not. "Kennedy, remember tell her the truth okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," she says before Renee and I walk out of the playroom leaving the two alone.

"This is unbelievable," I say, "I have maybe raised my voice at her once or twice in her entire life. I have NEVER put my hands on her, Renee. I have never even spanked her and now there are child abuse accusations against me."

"I know," she says, "we both know this is Elena's doing. She can see that this house is perfectly safe and Kennedy isn't neglected or abused by any means."

"I know but it pisses me off that she would go this low," I say. "I love that little girl more than anything. I would NEVER hurt her."

"I know," she says as she rubs my shoulder. "It's going to be okay. They're going to find nothing wrong here and hopefully that gets them out of our face."

"I hope so," I say, "Damn it, Renee. I can't take this anymore. I have everyone hitting me from all sides. I never meant to kill my mom. I never hurt my daughter and I love my job. I love you but everything around me is just falling apart."

"Sometimes things have to fall apart for everything to fall into place. Don't give up. I know you're a good dad and I know you love Kennedy. You love her more than anything. I know you love our daughters and I know that you love me. It's going to be a long road but slowly everything is going to start to fall into place like it should. Don't get so upset okay, Baby?"

"Okay," I say.

A few minutes later the woman from CPS comes out of the playroom. "So?" I ask.

"Well, after talking to Kennedy and seeing the house I will say there is no danger here. Kennedy is a happy, healthy and loving child. She loves you a lot. There's nothing wrong here but a normal child that plays too rough. You're good," she says with a smile.

"Thank-you," I say with a smile as I walk her to the door. "So you're not going to take my daughter away?"

"No, Mr. Ambrose, you're doing a wonderful job with her. You're a great father. There is nothing wrong in this house, it's clean, organized and Kennedy is happy, smart and healthy. You're doing a great job with her. I just got a call about an accusation and I had to come to check things out but you have nothing to worry about you're a great father."

"Thank-you," I say with a smile. "You have a good day."

"You too," she says with a soft smile before I open the door for her to let her out.

I make my way back to the living room where Kennedy and Renee are talking to each other. "I'll be back," I say.

"Where are you going?" asks Renee.

"I'm going to make a phone call to Elena," I say, "I think we have a few things to discuss about Kennedy," I say before I make my way out of the living room to go make my phone call to Elena.

 ***A/N: Do you think that Renee needs some down time and time to relax? What did you think about Kennedy opening up to Dean about her visits to Elena? Is it good for the visits to stop? What did you think of Elena making the accusation that Kennedy is abused? What about CPS showing up at the house? Do you think that counseling will help Dean and Kennedy out? How do you think Elena's and Dean's conversation is going to go on the phone? Do you think it's a bad idea for Dean to call her? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	3. Doing The Right Thing

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. THey were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much!***

I make my way to my office, calmly and cooling myself off. I want to keep my temper down and keep myself under control rather than flip out on Elena as much as I may want to. She took this to a whole other level by getting CPS involved and making false accusations against me for child abuse. She knows me better than anyone else I would never put my hands on my child. I don't get upset. I have never been upset except with the man that took my wife away from me and now because someone is coming after my child. If you mess with my family you sign your own fate. There is no one that means more to me than my family and my children; they are the greatest treasures in my life. Don't mess with them. Elena has my attention now. I sit down at my desk and pull my cellphone out of my pocket. I find Elena's number and hit her contact. I put the phone on speaker as the phone rings. "Dean," she says.

"Elena," I say. "Want to tell me what's going on?" I ask.

"What do you mean?" she asks. "When is Kennedy coming back over?"

"I don't know," I say, "so you called CPS on me?"

"CPS? No," she says, "why would I call CPS on you?"

"Kennedy and I were talking today. She told me that you asked her how she got a bruise on her leg and when she told you how she got it you didn't believe her and then proceeded to ask her if Renee or I did it. What are you trying to do?"

"Dean, I don't know how she gets half of her bruises. You bring her to me and her legs are banged up, she has unexplainable marks on her. You are angry right now I don't know what you're capable of."

"So you did call CPS on me?"

"I don't think it matters if I did or didn't, Dean, I'm concerned about my granddaughter. She's in an unsafe living environment. You're not in the right mindset and you're edgy. She told me that you yelled at her."

"One time, Elena, don't act like you never had your moments of yelling at Saige when she was little. All parents yell at their children. She did something she wasn't supposed to do so she got yelled at for it, I did not belittle her. I didn't damage her ego, she was fine. I felt like crap after it and then we worked it out. You don't know what goes on in my house so you have no business making these wild accusations about me. Kennedy is well taken care of and she's happy."

"How did she get the bruises, Dean?"

"She is a kid she fell. She plays rough. That's how she got the bruises. No one touched her. She slipped on the jungle gym and hit her leg that's how she got that bruise. I don't know where the other ones came from but she's a hardcore soccer player and she's running into things all the time. We have not and will never put our hands on Kennedy and I don't appreciate you going behind my back making up lies about me. If it gets out that you are making accusations against me for child abuse I could lose my job. I was lucky enough to keep my job after everything with my mom but that could make me lose my job. Then what will I do, Elena?"

"I don't know, Dean, I just don't think you're fit to be a parent right now. You need to do the right thing for Kennedy."

"You need to do the right thing for Kennedy and stop putting lies in her head and making her feel bad. Stop playing mind games with her."

"I'm not playing mind games with anyone," she says. "I just simply told her you're not a good man right now."

"Don't tell my daughter that," I say, "Don't you ever tell her that," I say. "I made a mistake and she knows that. Don't demonize me to her. She's 6 years old."

"Look what you've done, Dean. You're not fit to have that little girl. She deserves the best and she deserves someone that's going to take care of her and someone that's going to look out for her. That's not you, Dean. You killed her grandmother."

"I didn't do it on purpose," I say. "You know that. You have watched me raise that little girl for 6 years almost 7 years, Elena, you know I am not a bad dad. You know that. I have done NOTHING but give my daughter the best. She has wanted for nothing, she has needed nothing and she has all the love that she needs. I don't even give a shit about the materialistic things in life. She has all the love and care that she needs. You know that don't demonize me for one mistake. Then you go and call CPS on me. You'll be happy to know that I passed and they told me I am doing a good job with Kennedy. They said she is safe and happy and well taken care of. I think that for now it's best that Kennedy doesn't come to stay with you or comes to see you. You're playing a dangerous game with my daughter and I don't like it. And I hear you tell her she can't call Renee mommy?"

"Renee is NOT her mother, Dean. She has no business calling her mommy."

"Renee is going to be her step mom and for almost a year now Renee has been there for her mom wise. It's not like I'm trying to replace Saige or anything. Kennedy knows Renee is not her mom but she still loves her as if she was her mom. She has not forgotten about Saige. She asks about Saige often and I tell her stories about her mom. I keep Saige in her life. Renee is not replacing her. You have got to learn to accept Renee's spot in my life. We're going to be getting married in a few months whether you like it or not. Renee is going to be there. Kennedy is going to grow up with Renee in her life and there's nothing you can do about it. If she wants to call her mom she has every right to do so. It doesn't take away how much she loves Saige and it doesn't make her forget that Saige was her mom."

"I don't like it."

"What is your problem with me, Elena? You never liked me did you?"

"I always thought that Saige could do better than you," she says honestly and I'm not shocked. "I don't know what she saw in you. She was finishing college and had a really good life in front of her then you come along seducing her with your wrestling bullshit. I don't know what she saw in you. You were beneath her."

"Wow tell me how you really feel," I say, "you do know I am the father of your grandchild right?"

"As much as I wish you weren't I know it's true, you had nothing going for you living in a rundown apartment poor as anything and here comes my beautiful daughter Saige into your life because she went to one wrestling show. Then you two end up together. You ruined her life."

"How did I ruin her life by loving her endlessly and making her my entire world? I'm not understanding how I ruined her life, she finished school, she got her degree and she became a lawyer. I didn't stop her from anything."

"She was too young to get married and too young to become a mom," she says. "She could have waited."

"But we loved each other and there was no stopping us."

"I wish I could. Now you're ruining Kennedy's life with this wrestling lifestyle you're living. She needs a stable living environment. She needs her father home with her and not out being a rockstar. She needs you and you're never there."

"You may hate my job but it's the job that's putting food into her mouth and paying the bills in this house. I wish I had more time with Kennedy. I wish I could be home with her more but just because I'm not there physically doesn't mean I'm not there because when I'm gone I'm calling her constantly and I'm skyping her constantly. I am there just not physically. I do my best with what I do."

"And what are you going to do now that your mom isn't around, Dean? What are you going to do with Kennedy? Hire some nanny to take care of her?"

"No actually Renee's contract is done at the end of August and she's not renewing so she is going to be staying home with Kennedy and I go back at the end of September."

"Oh no," she says.

"Oh yes," I say, "you don't have to like me, you don't have to like Renee but you will respect us both when you're dealing with my daughter. You may not like us but she loves us. You have to respect us and stop filling her head with lies and this is why for now the visits Kennedy has with you need to stop."

"Dean, don't do this," she says. "I love Kennedy."

"If you loved her, Elena, you wouldn't be tearing down the people she loves and playing mind games with her. She doesn't want to visit you. She's scared that you're going to try to keep her there. She is confused and she is hurt right now. You told me I need to do the best thing for my daughter and right now the best thing for my daughter is to keep her visits with you non-existent for now."

"Dean, don't do this to me, please," she begs.

"I'm sorry, Elena, I can't have you damaging my daughter. I can't have it, Elena. I'm sorry."

"Dean," she says.

"I'm sorry," I say, "Have a good day."

"You're going to be sorry about this," she says before I end the call. I sit back in my chair wondering what Saige would think of everything right now. How would she feel about what her mom is doing to Kennedy and what would she think of everything I've gotten myself into. I'm sure she would be less than thrilled with her mom's behavior when it comes to Kennedy but as for me I don't know. She would be disappointed in me but she would stick by my side much like Renee is doing.

"So how did everything go with Elena?" asks Renee as we are sitting out by the pool watching Kennedy swim.

"How do you think it went?" I ask. "She's not happy about it but it is what it is. I need to do the best thing for Kennedy. I can't have her playing mind games with her and making us look like bad people. She's trying to turn her against us. I can't really let her do that."

"I know," she says as I rub her swollen stomach making her smile. "You're doing the right thing. So she did call CPS?"

"She didn't admit to it and she didn't need to. I know it was her. How dare she accuse us of abusing Kennedy? I have never put my hands on her and I never will. I don't believe in that type of parenting. The only time a spanking is acceptable is if they do something terribly bad but Kennedy never does anything bad. She's a little angel."

"I agree," she says. "You're doing a good job with her. CPS even said you're doing a good job so I wouldn't worry about Elena too much. As long as Kennedy is taken care of, loved and safe you are doing the right thing. Don't worry about her."

"She told me I'll be sorry whatever that means."

"She's calling your bluff don't engage with her anymore. You said what you needed to say to her let it go at that."

"Okay," I say with a smile. "We need to focus on other things."

"Like?" she asks with a smile.

"Like the babies and the wedding. We haven't even discussed names or a wedding date."

"It's been pretty busy lately," she says, "I think we have some time right now," she says as Kennedy goes down the slide into the pool. "So what names were you thinking about for the girls?"

"I don't know," I say, "I kind of like the idea of president names like Kennedy."

"You want to name our girls after presidents?" she asks. "That's interesting."

"It fits the theme," I say.

"You have one child you can come up with a different theme. We could do K names we could do names that end in Y, we can do last names as first names, we could do anything but president names. I don't know how I feel about that what president names could we use for a girl?"

"There's Taylor, Madison, Regan, McKinley, Monroe," I say.

"Yeah, I'm not naming one of our daughters Monroe as cool as it sounds I'm going to say no. I don't like Taylor or Madison. I don't like Regan either. McKinley is pretty. I like that name."

"I like McKinley too," I say with a smile.

"What else do you have president boy?"

"I don't those are the only suitable girl names I found," I say.

"Okay I am saying no to the president thing. I do like McKinley though and it ends in a y."

"Okay, McKinley for one girl so one of the girls is named," I say with a smile. "Any suggestions for the next one?"

"Marley," she says, "I have always liked the name Marley for a girl. I really like it."

"Marley? Like after Bob Marley?" I ask.

"Yes," she says, "but I really do love the name Marley and it fits with the whole last name as a first name thing and it ends in a y so what do you say?"

"Marley Ambrose," I say, "and McKinley Ambrose, Marley and McKinley those names kind of oppose each other."

"But they're beautiful," she says with a smile. "Please, Dean. Marley is a really pretty name. When I was 18 I told myself that if I ever had a girl I would name her Marley. Please?"

"All right," I say, "I do kind of like the name Marley and I wouldn't expect anything different from you."

"You like it," she says with a smile.

"I do," I say with a smile of my own. "Does it sound right; Kennedy, McKinley and Marley?"

"I think it does," she says with a smile.

"Me too," I say with a smile. "So that's out of the way. What about our wedding? What do you want to do about that?"

"I don't know," she says, "I'm still deciding what I want to do if I want a big or small wedding and when. When did you and Saige get married?"

"We got married in March. It was a destination wedding. We got married in Mexico."

"Was it a big wedding or a small wedding?"

"It was a small wedding," I say. "That's the way we wanted it to be. I'm not opposed to big weddings if you want one though."

"I don't think I want a big wedding. I want something small. I want something hippie or Boho like."

"Hmm," I say, "whatever you want it's your first wedding. You can have whatever you want."

"And I want to get married in October. What do you think of a fall wedding?"

"I like it."

"We could get married in Canada with my family."

"Canada," I say, "I like the sound of it. They wouldn't have to travel. The only people that would really need to travel are some of my friends and some of your friends. I already know Roman is my best man."

"I figured as much," she says with a smile. "I think Summer will be my maid of honor or my sister. I don't know for sure."

"It's your choice," I say with a smile. "So we're getting married in Canada?"

"If that's what you want," she says.

"It's not about what I want but what you want," I say with a smile. "I want this day to be everything you dreamed of. What date are you looking at in October?"

"Kennedy is a late October birthday so how about early October like October 9th of next year? What do you think?"

"That works for me," I say, "but isn't that like Thanksgiving weekend for you?"

"Yes," she says with a smile. "But at least I know all my family will be in town and in the area."

"Very true," I say, "I don't care where we get married or how we get married as long as at the end of the day I'm marrying you. I can't wait to make you my wife."

"I can't wait to be your wife," she says with a smile before I lean over and kiss her lips softly. "We're going to be so happy together."

"I'm already happy," I say with a smile. "I love you, Baby."

"I love you too," she says with a smile. She kisses my lips softly before she gets up and makes her way to the pool. I follow behind her and we get into the pool with Kennedy to play with her and spend the afternoon with her. I love days like this when I'm with my two favorite girls. It makes my pain go away for a little bit.

 ***A/N: How do you think Dean's phone call went with Elena? Did it go better than you expected? What did you think of what she said to him? Are you surprised she never really liked him? do you think he made the right decision by putting an end to her visits with Kennedy for now? What did she mean by he will be sorry? What do you think of the names Renee and Dean picked out for the twins? What do you think about Renee's wedding plans? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	4. No More Secrets

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

 **A COUPLE WEEKS LATER:**

"Are you ready to do this?" asks Renee as we are about to sit down in our living room to film for her show Unfiltered on the WWE Network. This is her last episode before she leaves the company and she wanted me to be her last guest and I agreed to it. I want to at least get my face out there to the viewers and the fans. I want them to see that I am okay in a way but not really okay.

"Yeah," I say as I get hooked up to a mic. "First time we actually talk about our private life," I say with a smile.

"Yeah," she says rubbing her stomach. "I am ready for this."

"Me too," I say with a smile as they get ready to start the show.

Renee does her usual introduction and then says, "Dean Ambrose, how are you?"

"I'm good," I say as I run my hands over the top of my jeans out of nervousness. "How are you?"

"Good," she says, "thank-you for doing this today."

"You're welcome," I say with a soft smile as she touches my hand as she senses my nervousness.

"So the question everyone is asking what is going on with your WWE status? When are you going to come back?"

"I'm coming back in late September," I say. "I am working on getting some stuff together at home and getting myself together. I am coming back after Night of Champions."

"That's wonderful," she says, "so how are you holding up after everything that's happened in the past few months of your life?"

"It's been a roller coaster," I say. "It's been a really long few months. I found out we're having a baby, then I found out that they were twins, I lost my mom because of my bad choices which I continue to regret every day and wish I could go back and change. I have been to court, I'm on probation for a couple years, I lost my license and I got engaged to the most beautiful woman in my life," I say with a smile as she smiles back at me, "and I found out I'm having twin girls. It's been a roller coaster of emotions and it's been one hell of a ride."

"How do you feel about the WWE Universe's reaction to what happened with your mother? The WWE Universe seems to be cut down the middle. What do you think about the ones that support you and wish that you get better and are wishing you the best through these hard times?"

"I'm grateful for all my fans and I'm grateful for the support and love they have given me. I was wondering if I would even have fans when I make my return but the letters and the internet buzz which I never really listen to have really helped me look forward to returning back to the ring and performing for those that have been supporting me and had my back through these hard times. I just want to thank them for their support it's amazing."

She smiles at me and says, "The support the WWE Universe has for you has been amazing but what about the negative people of the universe? How do you feel about that?"

"Haters have to hate. It's what they do," I say, "I'm not upset because honestly I kind of hate myself too. I'm not proud of what I've done. I'm not perfect. I am human just like everyone else in this world. We all make mistakes some of them bigger than others if they want to hang me out to dry because of this they have every right to. Everyone has an opinion and everyone is entitled to that opinion. I'm not asking anyone to love me or support me. I'm just asking that people do respect this time in my life. I'm going through hell enough and I live with this guilt every day of my life. I will always live with the fact that I killed my mom in a drinking and driving accident. I will never forget it. I will live with it the rest of my life so some hate from some of the fans is nothing compared to that. I'm not perfect no one is," I say. "If I could go back and change that night I would. If I could have one wish it would to be that night to change everything that happened. I was selfish and I was foolish. I get it. I punish myself every day and I'm filled with the same pain and guilt every day."

"You're right we all make mistakes," she says, "no one is perfect. I feel like this is a bit of a touchy subject so let's talk about something else," she says making me feel instant relief. "You're coming back after Night of Champions, what are your career plans? Are you going for any titles or anything?"

"I think that when I come back I'm starting from the bottom and working my way to the top," I say, "I have a lot to prove to a lot of people and I have a lot of work to do so I'm going to work my ass off and get back to the top of the roster. It's only fair," I say.

"Good luck," she says with a smile. "I'm sure you'll be back at the top in no time. So let's get into the juicy stuff," she says, "Are you ready to announce to the world who the lucky lady is that you're going to be marrying in over a year?" she asks me.

"Yes," I say with a smile. "I think I'm ready but I'm sure they already know but this woman," I say pointing to Renee, "I asked her."

"And I said yes," says Renee proudly showing the camera her beautiful diamond ring. "And I couldn't be happier. Dean and I are getting married and we're having twin girls in January," she says with a smile. "We just want to clear up a few internet rumors and those that don't believe we're together. We are happily in love with each other and we are spending the rest of our lives together."

"Forever," I say with a smile as I give her a soft kiss on the lips. "I really love this woman. I don't care who knows it or who sees it. After the last three years," I say, "I deserve someone as beautiful as her to make me as happy as she does. I love you, Renee."

"I love you too," she says with a smile. "Well, that's all the time we have for Unfiltered for today. For those that don't know this yet," she starts to say, "this is the last and final episode of Unfiltered with Renee Young. It's been a great show and I have enjoyed doing it. I just want to thank everyone that took the time to sit down and watch it. I am forever grateful for my fans and grateful for the job that made all of this possible. Thank-you so much," she says before they cut the cameras.

"That wasn't so bad," I say as I take the mic off. "I'm glad they know now."

"Me too," she says as she takes her mic off. "I can't believe that was the final episode. I remember the very first episode with Seth Rollins. It all happened so fast just like my career. Am I making the right choice, Dean? Is leaving the WWE the right choice for me?"

"I can't tell you what to do," I say, "that's your decision. Do you love working for WWE?"

"I really do love working for WWE. I love my job," she says. "Because of WWE I have had so many amazing opportunities in my life. I just want to know if I am making the right choice."

"Like I said it's up to you. I can't make the decision for you. You have to do what you feel is right."

"I want to be a mom," she says, "I really want to be a mom. I didn't think I would have any kids for a while but I want to be a mom. I thought I had more time with my career and there are things I wanted to do but never got to do like commentary. I feel like my kids need me more than the WWE does but I still don't know if leaving something I love is the right choice."

"Here's my suggestion," I say, "how about you do this take some time off and if you feel like you need to or want to come back go back. Didn't Stephanie tell you that you always have a job with WWE?"

"Yes," she says, "I'm going to try this mommy thing. I love Marley and McKinley already and I love Kennedy. She needs some stability in her life so do the babies. I don't want to hire a nanny to take care of them. I don't want to miss out on their lives. I want to do the mom thing but I'm scared. Can I really do this mom thing?"

"You have done a great job with Kennedy thus far. I'm sure you're going to continue doing a good job," I say with encouragement. "I think you'll be an amazing mom."

"Thanks," she says, "I want to do the whole Mommy and Me classes and stuff like that. That's what I want to do. I know that I'll never reach my dreams in WWE and I'm okay with that. I think leaving to be a mom is the best choice. I think it would be too hard to leave all three girls home while we're out on the road. I know Stephanie and Hunter do it but I don't want that life for them you know what I mean?"

"I hated leaving Kennedy when she was little," I say, "at first she had Saige with her but then she had my mom with her. I hated to leave her. I hated missing out on everything. I regret missing out so much on her life. I missed so much of Kennedy's life because of wrestling. I missed her first word which was Dada, I missed her first steps. I missed so much. I try my best but it's hard. If you don't think you can leave the girls then you probably can't. It's not easy, take my word for it. I'm already dreading leaving the babies too. I'm sad I am going to miss out on so much of their lives too but it's the sacrifice I make to pay the bills and put food on the table. I just wish there was more time to be a dad."

"You do well for the time you do have. I have never seen a dad like you. I'm scared to be a mom but watching you and knowing how amazing of a dad you are makes me feel a little bit better about being a mom because I know I have you to support me and help me out."

"I'll always be here," I say with a smile before I kiss the top of her head. "I guess I should get ready to go."

"Where are you going?"

"I have my first counseling session today. I figured I can't help myself I need someone to help me. I need someone to talk to. I can't understand my feelings and I feel it's best that I go to talk to someone."

"That's a good idea," she says with a smile. "I think that's a big step and it's a great one. You're going to do amazing. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," I say with a smile before I kiss her lips softly. "I'm going to get ready oh and I think it would be good if you, me and Kennedy all went to see a therapist together. You know do a family counseling session? I think that's something we could all use."

"Okay," she says with a smile as I get up to go get ready for my counseling appointment. I'm nervous about going but I am willing to do anything that's going to help me out.

 **A COUPLE HOURS LATER:**

"Hello, Dean, I'm Dr. Andrews, how are you today?"

"Hello, Dr. Andrews, I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm well," he says, "so what brings you to my office today?"

"I killed my mom," I say and he looks at me with a shocked and scared expression. "In a drinking and driving accident."

"I see," he says, "Why don't you tell me about the accident?"

"I went out to the bar on the strip and had a few drinks. I didn't even think about it and got into my car. I decided to drive. I didn't even try to stop myself. I have never driven drunk before I had always had a designated driver but I was so ready to get home and fix things with my fiancée that I didn't think. I got behind the wheel and started driving. I knew my vision was impaired. And I know I was swerving all over the roads and I couldn't control the car. I was weaving in and out of traffic dangerously. I was making my way back to my house when I crossed over into the other lane. Before I could get out of the way of the car coming toward me we hit each other head on. I got out of the car with just a few bumps and bruises but it was what I saw when I got out of my car. It was my mom's car. She had my 6 year old daughter with her. I didn't even check my mom," I say, "I went straight to my daughter but she was unconscious.I have never been so scared in my life and then I saw my mom. She was unconscious. She wasn't talking. She had blood all over her head. It was rough. She wouldn't answer me. I yelled for her, I told her I was sorry, I told her I would do anything if she woke up but she didn't. She died on the scene. She never made it and it's my fault. I killed my mom," I say with tears in my eyes.

"I see," he says, "and how does that make you feel?"

"I feel powerless over the situation. There's so much I wish I could have done but I couldn't do. I could have saved my mom's life by not drinking and driving but I didn't think about it when I got behind the wheel of that car. I thought that I could get home with no problem. I thought I could make it home but I didn't," I say as tears run down my cheek. "I took my mom's life because of one bad choice one that I wish I could go back and change. I could have killed my daughter too. Thank God I didn't but I could have lost her too. And I feel so guilty it should have been me that died not my mom. I will live every day knowing I took my mom out of this world and I will never forgive myself for that."

"Dean, guilt is a normal part of accidents like this. You're going to feel guilty and powerless that's normal."

"Why wasn't it me that died? Why was it my mom? Why did I have to kill her?"

"I don't know, Dean, I can't answer that for you," he says, "things happen and we don't know why they happen the way they do. Maybe you have a purpose on this Earth. Maybe you are needed on this Earth for something. I'm not saying that your mom didn't have a purpose on this Earth. I'm saying you were chosen to live for a reason. We don't know why things happen the way they do but we have to believe that there's a reason for everything."

"I don't see why there was a reason that my mom had to die. She was an amazing woman. She was my best friend. She was all that I had family wise besides my fiancée and daughter. She raised me by herself, she made her life about me. She was always there for me. She wasn't a bad person. She didn't deserve to die. She deserves to still be here with us celebrating the news she was going to be a grandma again and that she was getting two more granddaughters. She would have been so happy. I never got to tell her that's why I was drinking that night because I wasn't ready for another baby. I wasn't ready and I thought the best thing was to drown my sorrows in beer. It was the biggest mistake of my life and I can't change it. There's NOTHING I can do to bring my mom back. It kills me. I love her so much. She should be here with us but she's not because of me. We were such a happy family after everything we had gone through when my first wife was shot and killed in a grocery store. It's not fair. I was stupid for what I did but I need my mom."

"Like I said I can't answer that question. It sounds like you loved your mom very much."

"I did she was the best mom I could have asked for. They don't get any better than her. She was everything to me. And I'll never get that back."

"I can see the pain in your eyes, Dean, I know that it hurts. I know you're feeling hurt and probably even lost without her but I assure you she is with you every day. She is in your heart and she's probably smiling thinking about the babies you're going to have. Things happen and we never know why. There's a reason for everything. I know that isn't encouraging but there's a reason for everything. We just never know what it is. You know you can turn your guilt into something good. You can turn a tragedy into something good."

"How?" I ask.

"You can tell your story to people. You can visit colleges, visit high schools and explain the consequences of drinking of driving. You can share your story with them. Let them know first-hand how dangerous it is to drink and drive. Let them know. You can turn this into a good thing. Don't let your mom's death be in vain," he says, "is that something you think you would want to do?"

"I don't know," I say with a shrug. "It sounds like something I could do. I have a lot of fans and I could do the traveling. I think that I may want to do that let them know."

"A lot of people do it. Your story could change someone's life and save others from suffering the same fate your mom suffered and save them the same guilt you're feeling. Talking about it helps. Letting your feelings out helps, don't let your mom's death be in vain. Use it to do good, use it to change lives and to save lives. If you can make one person change their mind about drinking and driving you have saved many lives. It's your decision, Dean. You have to do what you feel is best."

 ***A/N: What did you think of Dean being the last guest on Unfiltered? Do you think it was good for him to tell the fans what is going on in his life and how he feels? What do you think of his supporters? What about his haters? What do you think of Dean and Renee announcing their engagement to the WWE universe and their pregnancy? Was that a good idea? Are you surprised Dean is finally letting go of his fears when it comes to letting the fans know bits and pieces of his personal life? What did you think of Dean going to the counselor will this help him? Do you think Dean will turn this tragedy into something good by making appearances telling his story? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


	5. The Calm

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much***

"So how did your appointment go?" asks Renee as she is driving me back to our house.

"It went pretty well," I say. "I mean I talked. I did a lot of talking. I don't think I have done that much talking since I don't know when. It's been a while."

"Talking is good," she says as I take her hand into mine. I bring it to my lips and kiss it softly and catch her smile as she turns onto our street. "Do you feel better?"

"I'm feeling a little bit better," I say. "It felt so good to talk. He gave me some ideas on what I can do."

"Really?" she asks. "That's really good. What kind of ideas did he give you?"

"He told me that I could use my story to help others. He said that I could visit colleges and tell them the consequences of drinking and driving. I don't want my mom's death to be in vain you know what I mean?" I ask. "I want to turn this tragedy into something good. If I can stop one person from drinking and driving then I have made the roads a little safer and probably saved a life or two. I want them to learn from my mistakes. I don't want to sit around and beat myself up for what I did. I want to get out there, tell my story and teach people that it can happen to anyone and no one is really untouchable behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated. I want people to learn that drinking and driving is no joke."

"That's good," she says with a smile as she pulls into the garage of our home. "I think that's something that you will do very well at. I mean making people aware, that's a good idea."

"I know," I say as she parks the car. "I just want to do something to make a difference you know? I just want to save lives. The guilt isn't worth it and no life is worth taking because you're too stupid to take Uber, ask for a ride. I made a horrible mistake one that I will never forget. The guilt is going to tear me apart the rest of my life. I took someone so special not only from my own life but my daughter's life away from this earth. I feel horrible and what if I would have killed Kennedy too? I would have never forgiven myself."

"But you didn't and that's a good thing. The only thing she walked away with was a broken arm. It could have been a lot worse but it wasn't and we should thank God for that."

"I know I thank God every day that Ken is still here and alive and well. I don't know what I would do without her."

"And you'll never find out," she says as we make our way into the house. I hope she's right I could never survive if anything happened to Kennedy. She's my entire world, my entire life. When everything around me doesn't make sense Kennedy is the only person that does. When I'm having a bad day and no one else can make me smile Kennedy does. The bond we have is unbreakable. After Saige's death we grew so close. I will admit before Saige's death Kennedy and I weren't as close but it brought us together. It made our bond stronger. She's everything to me. When I think about my mistakes and all the things I have done wrong; Kennedy is one of the things I have done perfectly and I have done right. Kennedy is my little princess. She's the world to me. She's my light in the darkness. I love her more than anything in this world.

"Daddy!" yells Kennedy as she runs into the kitchen and into my arms as we arrive home.

I scoop her up and kiss her cheek. "You missed me that much? I have only been gone for an hour."

"I know but I missed you, Daddy," she says with her beautiful smile. "I don't like when you go away."

"Honey, I'm not going away for a really long time."

"You're going back on the road soon," she says as she plays with earring in my ear. "I don't want you to."

"Why not?" I ask.

"Because I like you home with me," she says sadly. "Can't you stay home?"

"I wish that I could," I say, "but I have to go back to work so that I can make money so that I can pay the bills and so that I can put food on the table. If I could stay home and play with you every day I would. It won't be so bad because Renee will be home with you."

"I know," she says sadly breaking my heart. "Will you play with me now?"

"I will always play with you," I say with a smile. "What do you want to play?"

"Can we play in the pool?"

"Of course if that's what you want to do we can go outside and play in the pool."

"I do," she says, "and then I want to play tea party will you play tea party with me then?"

"I will do whatever you want me to do," I say with a smile before I kiss her nose. I put her down on the floor. "Go get your bathing suit on and I'll go get my trunks on. I'll meet you at the pool okay?"

"Okay," she says with a smile before she runs up the stairs to her bedroom to change before I make my way up the stairs to my room to get my trunks.

Kennedy and I meet by the pool 10 minutes later. I pull her hair up into a small messy bun before I put sunscreen on her so she doesn't get sunburn but she's so much like her mother she doesn't burn she just gets really tan and her hair turns blonder in the summer sun. I on the other hand if I don't put enough sunscreen on will turn into a lobster. Once I have sunscreen on her and myself we get into the pool. I get in first while she takes her time walking down the stairs into the pool. "Come on, Ken," I say with a smile as she stands on the third step.

"It's cold," she says.

"You'll get used to it," I say, "you always do. Come on, Ken," I say.

"Okay," she says as she swims into the pool and giggles.

"See?" I say with a smile as I catch her as she doggy paddles. "When are you going to learn to swim?"

"When you teach me," she says with a smile as she looks up at me with her blue eyes. "I know you do a lot of kicking."

"Yes," I say with a smile, "and you move your arms like this," I say showing her. "All you have to do is try."

"Okay, Daddy," she says as I hold her in my arms as she kicks her feet and moves her arms the way I showed her. "Am I doing it?" she asks as she splashes.

"You're doing it," I say with a smile as I hold her. "I'm going to let you go okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," she says before I let her go. She keeps kicking her legs and moving her arms as she starts to swim. "I'm doing it, Daddy!" she squeals with excitement. "I'm swimming."

"I see good job," I say clapping my hands for her. She reaches the side of the pool and holds onto the wall. "You did it," I say with a smile.

"I know," she says as I meet her at the side of the pool. "I can swim now."

"Yes you can just like I taught you how to ride your bike without training wheels."

"That wasn't so much fun," she says, "I got a lot of scraped knees and elbows."

"I know but now you can ride your bike without falling and you do it so fast. Sometimes you fall down but you just have to get up and keep trying you know what I mean? You should never give up."

"I know, Daddy. Just like you didn't give up when you didn't win the championship?"

"Just like that," I say, "one day I'm going to get there. I don't know when but I'm not going to stop trying till I get it and I'm going to make you so proud of me."

"I'm already proud of you, Daddy," she says with a smile. "I love you."

"I love you too," I say as my heart melts. There is nothing more beautiful than hearing those three words from my beautiful little girl. We spend much of the afternoon in the swimming pool. I toss her into the water and she screams and giggles. She's happy and that's all I could ask for. She's having fun and that's all that I want. When we get out of the pool before we play tea party we have a glass of lemonade that Renee made for us before we go inside to change into our clothes.

While I am changing Kennedy is setting things up in her bedroom for our tea party. I love playing tea party with her. It's one of my favorite things to do with her. I make my way into her bedroom after I am dressed in a black wife beater and a pair of white basketball shorts. She looks up at me and smiles as she stands at her table placing her stuffed animals on two of the empty chairs as she wears a light purple sundress. "Are you ready, Daddy?" she asks.

"I'm ready," I say as I make my way into her room. "Do I look okay? I'm not going to offend Stinky Cat am I?"

"Stinky doesn't like when you call her Stinky cat," she says with a smile, "but no you're not offending her but Bear Bear said you need to wear a suit."

"But I don't have a suit," I say. "This is all that I have. Is that okay, Bear Bear?"

"He said that's fine, Daddy. Please have a seat," she says pointing to one of her small chairs. I take a seat and she giggles as I can't fit into the chair. "You're funny," she says before she walks away.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm at a tea party. It's proper for me to wear pearls and wear gloves and a big hat," she says. "I'll be right with you," she says making me smile as she gets into her dress up stuff. She makes her way back to the table wearing fake pearls around her neck, one of Saige's derby hats and a pair of white gloves on her tiny hands. "That's better," she says with a smile as she takes a seat next to me. "Would you like some tea?"

"I would love some tea," I say in an English accent making her giggle as she pours imaginary tea into my cup. "You'll like it it's mint tea."

"Ooh, my favorite," I say with a smile as she pours tea for her stuffed animals.

"Would you like a muffin too?" she asks holding a small plate of pretend cupcakes but she is calling them muffins. "They're blueberry," she says with a smile.

"Thank-you," I say with a smile as I take one. "You look beautiful."

"Thank-you," she says placing a cupcake on the plates of the stuffed animals. "Do you like your tea?"

"I love my tea," I say with a smile as I take a pretend sip of tea. "It's very minty."

"You like minty," she says with a smile as she picks up her own tea cup. "Cheers," she says.

"Cheers," I say as we clink our cups together. "Pinkies up," I say with a smile as we drink our tea.

"Pinkies up," she says with a smile. "Daddy, can you paint my nails tonight after my bath?"

"I'm not a nail painter. Renee can paint your nails," I say.

"Please, Daddy," she says. "I want you to do it."

"All right," I say, "later I will paint your nails. I can't promise that they'll be perfect but I will do my best."

"Thank-you, Daddy," she says as we go back to having our tea party.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," says Renee as she appears in the doorway, "but you got some mail," she says.

"I'll check it out when I am done with the tea party," I say.

"Dean," she says and there's something about her face that makes me nervous. "I really think you should check this mail right now."

"Okay," I say as I stand up.

"What about our tea party?" asks Kennedy.

"I will be right back," I say, "okay?"

"Okay," she says with disappointment.

"Thanks," I say as I make my way to the door. Renee and I step out into the hallway. "What's going on?" I ask.

"This came for you today," she says handing me a manila envelope with an attorney's address on it. "I don't know what it is but I think it's important."

"Thanks," I say as I take the envelope from her. I open it slowly and take the papers out of the envelope. My smile fades as I read the papers. "Damn it," I say.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

"These," I say holding up the papers, "are custody papers. Elena is coming after me for full custody of Kennedy."

"Are you serious?" she asks.

"I'm dead serious. She's coming after me for full custody. This is not going to happen. I will not allow this to happen," I say. "This is bullshit."

"Let me see," she says as I hand her the papers. She reads over them, "wow how can she just come after you for full custody of your daughter?"

"Because she's being vindictive, she's always wanted her and I fucked up so now she has a reason to take her. I will NOT allow her to get custody of my daughter. I will not allow it at all. She thought she was going to get me on child abuse but the claims were found to be untrue and Kennedy is happy, healthy and well taken care of. The point is this she wants Kennedy and I screwed up and she could very well get her."

"Relax," she says, "you don't know that. You're a good father and Kennedy is happy with you. She's healthy. You're not going to lose her."

"I have a DUI charge against me. I killed someone in a drinking and driving accident. Any judge could see that and say I don't deserve to be a father and take my daughter from me. I can't let it happen, Renee. I can't. I have to fight this."

 ***A/N: What did you think of Kennedy and Dean spending the day together? Do you think Kennedy takes Dean to his happy place? Why do you think Kennedy is being so clingy to Dean lately? What are your thoughts on Elena going for full custody of Kennedy? Please review and thank-you for reading.**


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